Skeleton Of 17th-Century "Vampire" Unearthed With Sickle Across Its Neck

The skeleton of a young woman once suspected of being a "vampire" has been unearthed by archaeologists in Poland. Her body was found within a 17th-century cemetery with an iron sickle placed across her neck and a triangle padlock on her big toe, apparently to ensure she couldn’t wreak havoc from beyond the grave.

The grisly remains were recently discovered in the Polish village of Pień by researchers from the Archaeology Institute of Nicolaus Copernicus University. The graveyard was originally excavated between 2005 and 2009, but a recent survey this summer revealed even more graves, one of which the archaeologists described as “sensational” and especially unique in a statement sent to IFLScience.

It’s uncertain how she died; she may have been murdered or perhaps she died of disease. However, lead researcher professor Dariusz Poliński does not believe she was sentenced to death in a witchcraft trial because typically these people were hurriedly thrown into provisional graves near the gallows.

Instead, the unusual objects laid across the young woman lead the team to suspect her local community believed she was a vampire who might seek revenge for her untimely death.

more: https://iflscience.com/skeleton-of-17th-century-vampire-unearthed-with-sickle-across-its-neck-65254?fbclid=IwAR1WrxipQqrTEqD-lg8gxoFLsiG_aZ99hv0qwYs_cAifCQ9LZOu1ekA5Y8E